Pat Hennen - the early years (1972-1975)

So that was it. At the end of 1975, the Suzuki USA team was disbanded, the machines were mostly sent over to Suzuki GB, and Pat made the choice of trying to make a creer in Europe. But before that, he embarked for another trip to New Zealand - but in order to be able to ride there, Rod Coleman had no choice but to buy and ship to New Zealand a used TR750 which, from what Chip told us elsewhere on this forum, was really made up from the leftover bits and pieces from the Suzuki USA operation...

At the French GP they received the 500 much later than expected and so arrived a day late for practice. The outcome is documented in the article!!

At the Austrian GP, after practice, they determined Pat wouldn't be able to finish on one tank of gas, so Pat and Chip worked late that night and the entire next morning making an additional tank in the seat. They finished in tme for Pat to put on his leathers, get on the bike and drive out onto the track for the practice lap. Bike seized on the practice lap. I'm assuming this was a DNF situation.

And they were able to make an arrangement with Tepi Lansivuori's manager, who helped them with contracts (and languages!!) for the remainder of the races that year.

So, in December 1975, Pat was back in New-Zealand to defend his Marlboro Series title. As mentioned above, he was using an "ex-Suzuki USA - made up from bits and pieces - purchased by Rod Coleman " TR750 , and the opposition looked strong with Greg Hansford and Murray Sayle for Team Kawasaki Australia, and the usual suspects with their very efficient 750 TZ's , John Boote, Trevor Discombe or Canadian Jim Allen ( future head of the Dunlop racing department ) , plus a couple of brand new Suzuki 500 RG's that some lucky lads, namely John Woodley and Stu Avant, had managed to bring back from their racing ventures in Asia long before they were delivered to the rest of the world ....

A few pics and the series results follow, all already seen on the Marlboro Series thread, but worth repeating here...

So , Pat was now ready to make the big jump to Europe and tackle the Continental Circus trail. Although I originally titled this thread "72-75", we have already had some very intersting material posted about Pat's first season in Europe, and he was a privateer on his own after all - so maybe we can move on to 1976 ? I'm sure there are more stories to be told.

It looks as if Pat's number was "30" at Pukekohe and "P" for the rest of the Series?

....which leads to the next question : when did Pat ride with "H" that season ?

I hadn't put that pic in the timeline because firstly, unlike all the others it wasn't supplied to this forum by the original snapper/copyright owner, but found on the web ( Murray Barnard's Classic Motorcycling Australia ) , and secondly because I'm not even sure it's from the Marlboro Series.....it's the proper machine for the 75/76 winter, but it could perhaps be in Australia, not sure if Pat went there again after his two trips in 1974 discussed previously. Can anybody identify the circuit ?

More great shots!
Should we not have a thread for Pat from 1976 to 1978 or to present day though? to enjoy these & others like them as your thread is till 1975?
Just a thought
Who is Justin obviously someone with pit & track access, sorry if you have told us this already somewhere & I have missed that bit?
But great to see these sorts of pics matey thanks for posting them.

....which leads to the next question : when did Pat ride with "H" that season ?

I hadn't put that pic in the timeline because firstly, unlike all the others it wasn't supplied to this forum by the original snapper/copyright owner, but found on the web ( Murray Barnard's Classic Motorcycling Australia ) , and secondly because I'm not even sure it's from the Marlboro Series.....it's the proper machine for the 75/76 winter, but it could perhaps be in Australia, not sure if Pat went there again after his two trips in 1974 discussed previously. Can anybody identify the circuit ?

Chip thinks this was in Australia following the Marlboro Series, possibly Laverton. Will make some other inquiries and get back to you!!

More great shots! Should we not have a thread for Pat from 1976 to 1978 or to present day though? to enjoy these & others like them as your thread is till 1975?Just a thought Who is Justin obviously someone with pit & track access, sorry if you have told us this already somewhere & I have missed that bit? But great to see these sorts of pics matey thanks for posting them.

Hi Graham

Yes, the thread originally was until '75 but I think we've pretty much told the story and new material doesn't seem to pour in . So '76 is OK with me ( and I don't own this thread anyway ...).

Justin is someone I've "met" recently on the french pit-lane.biz forum which has an "oldies" section which is a kind of french equivalent to our Motorcycle Nostalgia Forum , but I haven't worked out exactly what he was doing in the sport - he has also sent me pics he took in the Daytona pits in 74 and 76 , so yes obviously someone connected...

Oh yes and I think you're right with Patrick Pons - he was entered in that 500cc race with a "354" Yamaha twin ( no 350 class at Spa ) . And Agostini's RG is of course visible in one of the pics.

A very interesting post I discovered today on the TT website, from Pat's older brother Chips.

"Mitch, if you're still interested in doing a story on Pat, would be glad to put u in touch with him. I'm his older brother. Also re the Isle of Man, the previous posting re what actually happened to cause his accident at the IOM is pretty much correct. Of course, the story we were told by the IOM officials immediately after accident was very different and completely bogus. Some years ago Pat met a woman who actually witnessed the accident. She told Pat that he and Tom Heron entered the corner where he crashed side by side. She sd Heron was "leaning" on Pat as they went thru the corner, forcing Pat against the curb. The normal line thru the corner was about 2 feet away from the curb, not up against it. Pat's bike's rear wheel barely touched the curb, but at 170-plus MPH even slightly touching a curb will cause serious problems. Tom Heron was on a "black" list of riders my brother and I kept of riders who could potentially be dangerous on the track. That was a result of a couple of incidents on the track as well as a story one of his mechanics had told us about him. Heron's career was doing only so-so at that time and he was starting to get a little desparate on the track at times. We had put him on our black list maybe 2 or 3 months prior to Pat's accident principally because of a story one of Heron's mechanics told us. In truth, it never entered our minds that Heron and Pat could end up side by side on the track during the IOM races. In previous races Pat rarely saw him on the track. Had Pat not had his accident, he almost certainly would have gone on to win the 1978 GP World Championship. He and Kenny Roberts were only 2 points apart in the 500cc GP standings at the mid-point of the season, and the 2nd half of the season was going to be much tougher, principally because of having to race on circuits like the old Spa Nurburing circuits. Also, since Pat was nearly 3 years younger than Kenny, he certainly would have gone on to win many more GPs and titles. He had also started an open-wheel car racing career and was tipped as the hottest young driver of his era by the car racing experts. Like Hailwood, Pat was as fast in car as he was on a bike. Of course, that's all history now, and the future belongs to the kids on the GP circuit today. Reall amazing to see how far GP racing has progressed thru the years. - chip hennen <A HREF="mailto:(chennen@msn.com">(chennen@msn.com</A>)

A very interesting post I discovered today on the TT website, from Pat's older brother Chips.

"Mitch, if you're still interested in doing a story on Pat, would be glad to put u in touch with him. I'm his older brother. Also re the Isle of Man, the previous posting re what actually happened to cause his accident at the IOM is pretty much correct. Of course, the story we were told by the IOM officials immediately after accident was very different and completely bogus. Some years ago Pat met a woman who actually witnessed the accident. She told Pat that he and Tom Heron entered the corner where he crashed side by side. She sd Heron was "leaning" on Pat as they went thru the corner, forcing Pat against the curb. The normal line thru the corner was about 2 feet away from the curb, not up against it. Pat's bike's rear wheel barely touched the curb, but at 170-plus MPH even slightly touching a curb will cause serious problems. Tom Heron was on a "black" list of riders my brother and I kept of riders who could potentially be dangerous on the track. That was a result of a couple of incidents on the track as well as a story one of his mechanics had told us about him. Heron's career was doing only so-so at that time and he was starting to get a little desparate on the track at times. We had put him on our black list maybe 2 or 3 months prior to Pat's accident principally because of a story one of Heron's mechanics told us. In truth, it never entered our minds that Heron and Pat could end up side by side on the track during the IOM races. In previous races Pat rarely saw him on the track. Had Pat not had his accident, he almost certainly would have gone on to win the 1978 GP World Championship. He and Kenny Roberts were only 2 points apart in the 500cc GP standings at the mid-point of the season, and the 2nd half of the season was going to be much tougher, principally because of having to race on circuits like the old Spa Nurburing circuits. Also, since Pat was nearly 3 years younger than Kenny, he certainly would have gone on to win many more GPs and titles. He had also started an open-wheel car racing career and was tipped as the hottest young driver of his era by the car racing experts. Like Hailwood, Pat was as fast in car as he was on a bike. Of course, that's all history now, and the future belongs to the kids on the GP circuit today. Reall amazing to see how far GP racing has progressed thru the years. - chip hennen <A HREF="mailto:(chennen@msn.com">(chennen@msn.com</A>)

Blimey, Paul, more controversy. Interesting stuff, but not generally touted until now? After finding the post, I see that it's some seven years old, interesting nonetheless.

I had seen that same message by Chip on the TT website a while ago, and was sincerely hoping that it would not surface anywhere, and not here in particular ... Tom Herron has seemingly left such an unspoilt ( and maybe slightly idealised...) image amongst the public, and also many of his contemporaries, as to his qualities as a human being ( for instance I had a first hand account by Dennis Ireland on how helpful and welcoming he was to the colonials who wanted to race in Ireland...), that maybe his....eer...."darker side" as a tough and hard rider was quietly left aside ? Specially after his own tragic demise, his reputation was to remain untouched ? Strange that the "official" version of Pat's accident has always been the "big bug" or bird that supposedly smashed into his helmet , and that no other cause ( and that lady's testimonial in particular ) was seriously considered?

Anyway, I know Chip reads this thread now and then so perhaps we should leave him the opportunity to elaborate on the topic ( or not )...... But IMHO, anything that will be said will not give back to Pat the ( probably ) successful racing years that this accident robbed him from, so....

If there is a need to unearth this particualr post, it would have been fair to do it with the replies too, especially when the one in question has no chance to defend himself. I watched that race at the 11th milestone and I remember the feeling that both were testing the limit

Agreed, & the testimonies of witnesses can sometimes be un reliable in as much as what you perceived to have seen happened in a split second, as this event on a bend @ 170mph would of been one of those cases? That is not to say that this is the case with this testimony to Pats accident.
But with his accident we were robbed of seeing a "new" talent take on Roberts @ his peak.

'I received this email from my Dad, describing what happened, or at least what he saw, that day. Good of Katayama to stop, hey? What my Dad writes is purely his opinion, of course, so don't take it as gospel. For instance, I think we should bear in mind that other riders may have been, and probably were, using the same rip - off - visor silver tape. But hey, my Dad saw what he saw, so make your own mind up. I think we can forget any bird involvement. I didn't realise that it was so long ago (only 2 years after the accident) that my Dad showed Pat around the course, etc. It seems like a few years ago to me which I guess is due to the fact that I felt so privelaged and probably star struck to meet Pat! I do remember him being in good spirits though which I hope is of comfort to all of his fans.

My Dad's recollection is as follows ;

He crashed at Bishopscourt. There was a deep gouge on the exit pavement which suggests he hit it & lost control. I was the first on the scene & he was lying in the middle of the road with his bike 200 yards further on. The only mark on him was a cut on his hand but he was obviously unconscious. The helicopter came & it was wonderful how carefully they handled him. On the way back to Rhencullen I found a ripoff which was obviously his because of the silver on it, the same as his helmet and I think he tore it off & had a slight wobble hitting the kerb. There was no sign of any birds being hit. Katayama did stop to help me with Pat. He was 6th on the leaderboard at the time & stayed with me until the helicopter came.

Pat came back to the Island the next year & was not well at all & should not have bothered. 2 years after that he came again & I met him & he asked me to take him to where the accident was. The only sign of the accident was that his speech was a little bit slurred. He was very shocked when I showed him what happened.

A very interesting post I discovered today on the TT website, from Pat's older brother Chips.

"Mitch, if you're still interested in doing a story on Pat, would be glad to put u in touch with him. I'm his older brother. Also re the Isle of Man, the previous posting re what actually happened to cause his accident at the IOM is pretty much correct. Of course, the story we were told by the IOM officials immediately after accident was very different and completely bogus. Some years ago Pat met a woman who actually witnessed the accident. She told Pat that he and Tom Heron entered the corner where he crashed side by side. She sd Heron was "leaning" on Pat as they went thru the corner, forcing Pat against the curb. The normal line thru the corner was about 2 feet away from the curb, not up against it. Pat's bike's rear wheel barely touched the curb, but at 170-plus MPH even slightly touching a curb will cause serious problems. Tom Heron was on a "black" list of riders my brother and I kept of riders who could potentially be dangerous on the track. That was a result of a couple of incidents on the track as well as a story one of his mechanics had told us about him. Heron's career was doing only so-so at that time and he was starting to get a little desparate on the track at times. We had put him on our black list maybe 2 or 3 months prior to Pat's accident principally because of a story one of Heron's mechanics told us. In truth, it never entered our minds that Heron and Pat could end up side by side on the track during the IOM races. In previous races Pat rarely saw him on the track. Had Pat not had his accident, he almost certainly would have gone on to win the 1978 GP World Championship. He and Kenny Roberts were only 2 points apart in the 500cc GP standings at the mid-point of the season, and the 2nd half of the season was going to be much tougher, principally because of having to race on circuits like the old Spa Nurburing circuits. Also, since Pat was nearly 3 years younger than Kenny, he certainly would have gone on to win many more GPs and titles. He had also started an open-wheel car racing career and was tipped as the hottest young driver of his era by the car racing experts. Like Hailwood, Pat was as fast in car as he was on a bike. Of course, that's all history now, and the future belongs to the kids on the GP circuit today. Reall amazing to see how far GP racing has progressed thru the years. - chip hennen <A HREF="mailto:(chennen@msn.com">(chennen@msn.com</A>)

Re: Pat HennenThis is really Chip Hennen and everything I said in my earlier posting was true (my personal email address is <A HREF="mailto:chennen@msn.com">chennen@msn.com</A>). We were told following Pat's accident that eyewitnesses saw him trying to wipe something from his visor just prior to the accident. Speculation was that a large bug had struck his visor and obscurred his vision. When we got his helmet back, there was no evidence of anything severely obscurring his vision. The woman who actually saw what really happened provided Pat and several other people with a pretty detailed account of what actually happened several years ago, and what she recounted did make perfect sense. Of course, the IOM organizers didn't want that story to be told, especially given the stature of my brother at the time. I also want to mention that there was no indication that Heron deliberately leaned on Pat as they went thru the corner. He simply didn't give Pat the room he needed to safely make it thru the corner, forcing him to the inside and against the curb. The race was a non-GP event and meant very little to my brother, but I think it meant an awful lot to Heron. Heron's racing career was in delcine in '78. According to his mechanic at that time (I think he had only one full-time mechanic), Tom had started to treat him very badly, blaming him in part for his poor performance on the track. His mechanic said he thought Tom was starting to ride way over his head and to be careful around him on the track. We took his words of caution very seriously, even though Pat rarely ever actually saw Heron on the track. Unfortunately, their paths crossed on the IOM a couple of months later, which is a very unforgiving track. Very sad to hear about the 4 riders who lost their lives on the IOM this week. Everytime a rider loses his life on the track, it dimmishes the sport and everyone who follows it immeasurably. There's no place in racing for anything that put's a riders life in imminent peril.

reading the aforemantioned brings back memories of that race, i wasnt there to witness anything, but recollections of that race was ( and i may be wrong), was that pat was trying to make up time on the last lap, maybe trying too hard on the tt circuit, dont think we will ever know

Some reports at the time said Herron was just following Pat because he'd started some way behind and knew he was leading and so he didn't need to pass Pat; and that Pat looked round and saw him and Tom shook his head as if to try to tell Pat there was no point in trying to go faster.

A lawyer would have a field day with the evidence offered in support of Herron's culpability: thirty year old recollections from a non racing spectator as to the correct racing line, and a negative assessment from a disgruntled spannerman....... Having said that, the IOM authorities would almost certainly have seen the reputation of the races as more important than unraveling the truth about this crash or any other, lest something untoward be discovered. In the past they were famous for holding the most cursory of inquests into fatal crashes almost immediately after the event, thereby lessening the opportunity for dissenting voices to get much of an airing.

From the TTwebsite site:
......, i was in the hedge at the cross roads on Cronk-Y-Voddy. Did anyone else see Pat and Tom there? Tom was literally "using the whip", making jockey actions as if to get more out of the Suzuki. They were side by side at amazing speed!

A lawyer would have a field day with the evidence offered in support of Herron's culpability: thirty year old recollections from a non racing spectator as to the correct racing line, and a negative assessment from a disgruntled spannerman....... Having said that, the IOM authorities would almost certainly have seen the reputation of the races as more important than unraveling the truth about this crash or any other, lest something untoward be discovered. In the past they were famous for holding the most cursory of inquests into fatal crashes almost immediately after the event, thereby lessening the opportunity for dissenting voices to get much of an airing.

From the TTwebsite site: ......, i was in the hedge at the cross roads on Cronk-Y-Voddy. Did anyone else see Pat and Tom there? Tom was literally "using the whip", making jockey actions as if to get more out of the Suzuki. They were side by side at amazing speed!

Jesus.....

Have been reflecting on the last posts. I too was hoping this topic would not appear on the Forum. As Russell, Graham and Rennmax (sorry I can't now remember your given name) have stated, it's been 34 years, memories are clouded, and not everyone is present to defend themselves. Choices were made and mistakes were made, all around. While we wish for closure regarding this incident, it is not possible. What we do have is Pat, who is "hale and hearty" and for that I am most grateful.......... Claudia

Fabulous photos as always Graham and Rennmax (black and white is great) Please excuse me if this is redundant information, but in 1977 Pat began wearing leathers that had been re-designed with a higher collar piece to provide additional protection around the neck.